Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) may be a mouthful, but it should be on your radar, especially if you are the parent of a teen experiencing a growth spurt right now and is involved in athletic activity. If that sounds like your situation, we’re happy to explain what it is, what causes it, and how to treat it.
What Exactly Is Osgood-Schlatter Disease and What Causes It?
First, this condition affects the knees of growing adolescents, particularly those involved in sports or activities that require a lot of running or jumping. It is often triggered by overuse and stress on the patellar tendon of the knee during a growth spurt.
For context, the human body goes through significant growth spurts during the teen years, and the bones, muscles, and tendons are forced to adjust to these changes. In particular, as bones quickly grow in length during growth spurts, our muscles and tendons lag in their growth by comparison. This results in muscle stiffness and decreased tendon length which changes the length-tension relationship and increases the likelihood of muscle strains and tendon overuse.
With Osgood-Schlatter’s in particular, the muscles in the front of your thigh called your quadriceps, and the muscles in the back of the thigh, called your hamstrings experience significant stiffness. When this increased stiffness is combined with repetitive activities that strain the knees, such as sprinting or playing team sports, such as basketball, volleyball, or soccer it can lead to overuse and inflammation in the patellar tendon that connects the kneecap to the shinbone.
It’s common, due to the increased tension of the patellar tendon, teens will develop a noticeable bump near the top of the shin bone. This isn’t a significant cause of concern but a warning sign to seek treatment.
In addition to muscle and tendon stiffness during growth spurts, this condition is also caused by decreased strength in the legs, hips, and core muscles.
Most teens advance in competitive sport play before they begin formal strength training. Despite research being overwhelmingly clear that youth athletes can strength train at any age without adverse effects on growth, height, or injury, many youth athletes and the sports programs they participate in choose to delay strength training until the mid to late teenage years.
This creates a mismatch between the intensity of team sport play and the athlete’s foundational strength, further contributing to muscle and tendon overuse. A comprehensive strength training program that aims to build core, gluteal, hamstring, quadriceps, and calf strength while improving the alignment of the trunk, pelvis, and legs can significantly decrease the symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease.
It’s important to know that Osgood-Schlatter’s disease doesn’t only affect athletes. Those at risk tend to be youth who engage in activities that strain the knees. Even teens not participating in sports can experience knee pain during a growth spurt. The condition is much more common in males, and onset is typically between the ages of 10 to 15 years for males. For females, it is between the ages of 8 to 13 years.
One positive angle is that Osgood-Schlatter’s disease tends to be temporary and usually goes away on its own in the late teenage years. When the growth spurt ends, this issue will most likely fade into the background, so it’s undoubtedly a significant relief.
Best Treatments for Osgood-Schlatter Disease
With Osgood-Schlatter’s disease being an overuse injury, strategic rest is a crucial part of the initial treatment. The last thing competitive youth athletes want is to be sidelined from their sport. This is especially true for teens aged 16-18 competing to get noticed and gain a collegiate scholarship. Therefore, rest must be used wisely to avoid long breaks in play.
Often, complete rest from sports play isn’t necessary to reduce pain. Strategies like reducing practice intensity, reducing practice duration, or limiting the number of repetitions of the most painful movements can make a big difference. By working with an athletic trainer and physical therapist, youth athletes can find the balance between practice and recovery.
It’s also important to note that athletes can train and compete through some pain without long-term damage. Open communication with the rehabilitation team, the coach, and the athlete will allow athletes with this condition to play as much as possible without affecting recovery.
One can take additional steps to tend to the pain aside from resting.
Icing the affected area and using over-the-counter pain relievers help alleviate pain and reduce inflammation. Wearing a patellar tendon strap can also help reduce pain during training. These treatments will help address the symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter.
A comprehensive rehab program is required to address the cause of tendon overuse. This often includes stretching the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, and adductors. By improving tissue length, athletes have more unrestricted movement during squatting, jumping, and sprinting, which reduces the load on the tissues.
Strengthening the gluteus maximus and medius will help control the position of the pelvis, which will balance how force is applied through the leg muscles.
Strengthening the quadriceps and hamstrings will allow athletes to tolerate greater loads during activity while reducing the load on the patellar tendon. Finally, using video and force feedback, biomechanics training will optimize power and alignment.
It’s important to note that if you’re experiencing persistent or severe pain, it’s always a good idea to consult a physical therapist. A physical therapist will provide a diagnosis and individualized treatment plan to address the root cause of knee pain. They will also coordinate communication with coaches and trainers to ensure athletes are playing as much as they can while staying focused on their recovery plan.
When Will Pain and Symptoms Resolve?
Dealing with knee discomfort and symptoms can feel burdensome, as it impacts your daily life and expectations of how you might move around in your environment. Let’s take a deeper dive into the details to provide a sense of what to expect regarding pain and symptom resolution.
It’s important to remember that Osgood-Schlatter disease tends to resolve independently with time.
The good news is that for most people, the pain and symptoms begin to subside as they reach the end of their growth spurt. However, please be aware that this does vary from person to person. Individuals may observe improvements after a few weeks or months, while others may take longer, even up to two years in some cases.
In general, youth athletes with this condition who seek care from a physical therapist can expect a significant reduction in their pain in 4-6 weeks.
Addressing the root cause of pain with Osgood-Schlatter disease will not only eliminate the pain but also provide athletes with focused training to reduce injury in the future while improving performance.
